Faran Imani
Student Spotlight (2015)
萝莉研究所 Honors student Faran Imani has been awarded a Transfer Alliance Program
scholarship for $10,000 to attend UCLA. He is the second Norco student to earn this
transfer scholarship.
TAP scholarships are tied to the completion of the scholars/honors program at a California
Community College. Scholarships are based on merit and financial need. A TAP scholarship
winner receives $5,000 a year for the two years at the university level.
鈥淚 am grateful to be chosen as a UCLA TAP scholarship recipient,鈥� said Imani, who
graduated from Corona High School in 2011 and picked UCLA over UC Berkeley. 鈥淚t is
amazing to see how my hard work paid off.鈥�
Imani鈥檚 journey to UCLA began in his parents鈥� native homeland in Iran. His parents,
Faramarz and Nahid, were members of the Baha鈥檌 Faith, the country鈥檚 largest minority
religion in Iran. He says that after a political uprising, 鈥渘ew systematic persecution鈥�
of the Baha鈥檌s started.
鈥淢y mom escaped the country, while my dad, who was studying on a student visa in the
United States, realized he might never return to his homeland in Iran for fear of
being persecuted,鈥� Imani said. 鈥淚 remember being intrigued by the captivating stories
my parents told about how politics rapidly changed their lives, stories that eventually
contributed to my desire to become a political science major. I was bewildered by
not only how one political event could change the course of my parents鈥� lives, but
also how it could affect the entire world.鈥�
His parents鈥� stories set him on a course he never imagined for himself. Imani began
attending political conferences from California to Maine. For the last two summers
he has traveled to the Eastern seaboard to attend a 10-day conference. In Santa Ana
he joined the Citizen Leadership Program at the Delhi Center.
鈥淧articipating in these sessions gave me a new outlook on how individuals can use
voting as a tool to make a difference,鈥� Imani said. 鈥淚 gained a realization of how
social and political activism truly makes a difference in the community and, consequently,
the positive effect it can have on our society.鈥�
Imani鈥檚 desire for political action at 萝莉研究所 eventually led him to Honors
Program Coordinator Lyn Greene. It was the spring semester of 2012 and he was looking
to make a difference on campus. A decision to run for secretary of the Norco Scholars
Association further defined his educational path.
鈥淭hat decision changed everything for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淒r. Greene really helped me reevaluate
what I wanted and where I wanted to go as a student. Looking back on my experience
in the Honors Program, I realize the real benefit of the program is not the fine look
that it has on a personal statement, or the 鈥淗鈥� on a transcript, but the motivating
environment created by the students and staff who work diligently to build a community
that is far more greater than anything a piece of paper could reveal.鈥�
